LDP President Junichiro Koizumi reshuffled the top three Party officials and his cabinet members on September 27. He appointed Tsutomu Takebe, former minister for Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, as Secretary General; Fumio Kyuma, acting secretary general, as Chairman of the General Council; Kaoru Yosano, former minister for International Trade and Industry, as Chairman of the Policy Research Council.


Regarding his cabinet members, he retained: Taro Aso, Internal Affairs and Communications Minister; Sadakazu Tanigaki, Finance Minister; and Shoichi Nakagawa, Economy, Trade, and Industry Minister, in their present posts. He appointed young Diet members to his cabinet, including Tatsuya Ito as State Minister for Financial Service, and Yasufumi Tanahashi as State Minister for Science and Technology. The lineup is a reflection of his determination to complete "Koizumi's structural reform".


New Secretary General Takebe expressed his determination after assuming the office, "The LDP as well as we politicians need a consciousness revolution, in other words, we must handle politics with the sense of values of the public. I am going to promote politics where politicians' consciousness would coincide with that of the public."